Utility vehicle



April 15, 1941. H. J. TROCHE UTILITY VEHICLE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov.22, 1939 INVENTOR. fff/eMfl/v J 7780075 fl f-M, #7 73 A TTORNEY5 H. J.TROCHE UTILITY vsazcw Filed Nov 22, 1959 April 15, 1941.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VENT OR.

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April 15, 1941. H. J. TROCHE UTILITY VEHICLE Filed Nov. 22, 1939 3Sheets$heet 5 INVENTOR.

Mm fwm Wm WY W em [a fl w fl m Patented Apr. 15, 1941 strep :UIILITYVEHICLE.

Herman J. Troche, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to 1 J I I The American'Coach and Body Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio- Company,

Application November 22, 1939, Serial No. 305,664

. 10 Claims.

This invention relates to a utility vehicle having a ladder thereon thatis swingable and tiltable with reference to the vehicle for obtainingaccess to overhead trafiic lights, street lamps, and the like. Theinvention finds particular application in cities where traffic is heavy,and where provision must be made for reaching an overhead locationspeedily without interfering with the normal operation of traffic, andwithout interference from cars which may be parked beside the signal tobe attended.

One of the difficulties in mounting a ladder upon a truck has been tomake it long enough to reach the desired objectives within the limitedspace of a vehicle and yet light enough to be oper ated by only one man.An additional difficulty has been the fact that after a ladder has beenonce adjusted for direction and height, the operator could not movearound upon it to different locations without endangering his safety.

The present invention has for one of its objects, an arrangement whichpermits one man to swing and tilt the ladder quickly to any desiredposition,

and to provide a platform at the upper'end thereof which willautomatically fall into operating position upon the mere act ofextending the lad der, and which will enable an operator to move aboutand always to stand upon a horizontal surface regardless of the angle atwhich theladder is disposed with reference to the ground.

Referring now to the drawings, Fig.1 is a rear view of a motor vehiclehaving a ladder emb'ddy} ing my invention mounted thereon andillustrating the ladderin'various positions; Fig. 2 shows the ladder intelescoped, but elevated position; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section ofthe ladder and supporting structure showing the ladder in retractedposition and locked to the roof of the cabq Figs. 4, 5 and 6 aresections taken on'the planes indicated by'the correspondingly numberedlines in Fig. 3; Figs. 7 and 8 are sections taken on the correspondinglynumbered lines in Fig. 3; Fig. 9 is a section taken on the line 99 inFig. 8; Fig. 10 is a top plan view showing the mechanism for locking theladderto the cab; and Fig. 11 is a' section taken on the line in Fig.10.

I have shown the ladder as being mounted upon the floor of a motorvehicle, indicated in general at I0, and as being used for providingaccess to an overhead lamp. The ladder illustrated is the extensibletype, there" being two sections II and I2 indicated in this application.These sections are mounted for telescopic movement with respect to eachother in the customary manner, and

for the purpose of description herein, the section reference thereto,and tilted at any desired angle, within its range, with referencethereto. 1 The supporting structure for the ladder may comprise a column[5 which is shown in the form of a cylindrical member that projectsupwardly from a base I 6 which, in turn, is rigidly fastened to fthefloor of the truck. The top of the column may have a bearing ring 11supported thereon for re-' l8 that extends downwardly about the standardwith a lower bearing on the ceiving a sleeve tribute the load stressesalong a considerable "length of the column. v f a I The mechanism forconnecting the ladder to the sleeve [8 preferably embodies a system'oflinkage which is connected at one point 29 to. the

ladder, and at spaced-points 2| and 22 to' the sleeve.

links that are preferably spaced equally from the center of the columnand on opposite sides thereof.

mechanism is compactly arranged in a relatively small space.

The spaced points of connection 2| and 22 tween the'sleeve and thelinkage'mechanism comprise pivotson arms 23 and 24 respectively which 20and 22 are interconnected by a link 28, thereby providing a linkagesystem which has a single pivot on the ladder and a double pivot on thesupporting sleeve. .This arrangement again distributesthe load alongsubstantially the entire length of the sleeve l8 and provides a compactstructure which vpermits rotation of the sleeve through 360 in arelatively restricted space'with:

in a motor vehicle. 1

p The ladder is normally carried for transporta-' tion in a horizontalposition as shown in Fig.- 3,

but is adapted to be elevated by tilting-about the pivot 20. This can bequickly accomplishedby pulling downwardly on the bottom of the ladderwhich. for convenience, has'a downwardly :ex--

tending offset portion 30 that may be readily grasped by the operatorand swung "downwardly" M to the broken line position 30a in Fig. 3. Theap-' *par'atus for holding the ladderin position may comprise pins 3|which are disposed within a hollow rung 32 and are normally urgedoutwardly by springs 33 as shown particularly in Fig. 4. The members 3|normally project beyond the side rail for engagement in the openings ofthe hollow;

As shown in Fig. 9, there are twosets of Thus, 'the load is equallydistributed upon .the supporting structure while. the elevating pivots21 in the flared end portions 35 of the links 26 (Figs. and 7) Thisarrangement provides a snap-fastening action that locks the ladder inelevated position as soon as it reaches the broken line position of Fig.3.

To withdraw the locking pin 3! from the openings 21, I have shown eachpin 3| as connected at 36 to an arm 31, and I have shown each arm 31 asbeing pivotally connected at 33 to a hand controlled lever 39 which inturn may be pivotally connected at 40 to the hollow rung 32. Suitableslots 4|, are provided in the rung 32 and the transverse pins36 areembraced by slots in the arms 31, the arrangement being such thatwhenever the lever 39 is swung in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 4,the locking pins 3| will be drawn into the rung sufficiently to clearthe openings 2! and to allow the extension 30 to be moved upwardly andthe main body of the ladder to be moved downwardly to the horizontalposition of Fig. 3. When the ladder is elevated as'previously described,and the pins 3| are cammed inwardly by the flared portions 35 and thenoutwardly into the openings 21 by the springs 33', the pins 36 movewithin the slots, the handle 39 remaining stationary.

To lock the entire superstructure that is supported on the standard ISin any desired angular'position about a -vertical axis, Ihave shown aplate 42 which is carried by the standard beneath the sleeve and whichhas apertures 43 (Fig. 6) extending'at spaced intervals therethrough. Aplunger 44 carried by a rod 45 isslidably mounted in lugs 46 and 41 thatproject from the sleeve as shown'in Fig. 3. The plun-j ger-carrying rodis normally urged downwardly by the spring 48, but is adapted tobe'nianually withdrawn or lifted to permit rotation of the sleeve andthe accompanying superstructure to a different angular position. Themechanism for lifting the rod is shown as an arm 49 which is pivotallyconnected'at 50 to the rod which is rigidlyattached to a crossbar 5|that is supported for oscillation in brackets 52', FigJV. which in turnare supported on bearing blocks 53 The bearing blocks may be suitablycarried by arms 54 that project outwardly and upwardly from the sleeve.The cross bar 5| terminates'afl each end in a handle 55 which isdisposed adjacent a hand wheel 60 where it is convenient for an operatorto depress while simultaneouslv manipulating the hand wheel for thepurpose hereinafter set forth.

To alter the vertical angular position of the ladder after it has beenlocked in the tilted position, I utilize a mechanism for swinging thelinks about the pivots 2| and 22. Such mechanism is shown as comprisingthreaded spindles 65 which, as shown in Fi 8 extend through threadedcylindrical nuts 66 that are disposed within a sleeve 61 which in turnis mounted within a hollow cross brace 68. The cross brace. in'turn, isrigidly attached at its ends, as by welding, to the links 28. Trusses 69extend from the central region of the cross brace 68 to points near theupper and lower ends of the links 2 8. at 70 and H respectively. As isshown in Fig. 9, slots 12 in the cross brace and sleeves 6'! allow alimited rotation ofthe nuts 66 with reference to the cross brace so asto permit freedom. of movement of the nuts along the entire threadedportion of the spindle 65 as the angles bt the linkage members vary.Such movement of the nuts "is efl'ective to tilt the ladder SO asi0 varythe inclination of it while it is in elevated position.

The mechanism for rotating the spindles 65 preferably comprises handwheels'fill which are rigidly mounted upon a shaft 73, which in turn issupported by the bearing blocks 53. The shaft is connected to thethreaded spindles by suitable beveled gears, indicated at E5 and i5respectively, within housings I4 rotatable on the shaft 13.

By utilizing two hand wheel-s and by placing the levers 55 in closeproximity thereto, an operator may stand at the foot of the ladder andquickly position the upper end of it in any desired overhead locationwith dispatch.

To facilitate manipulation of the ladder by only one operator, I preferto counterbalance the weight of the ladder, and for such purpose Iutilize spring loaded plungers 19, at each side of the support, withincasings 83 which are connected to the ladder by flexible cables at. Thecables extend over curved top surfaces 32 of brackets 83 which areattached to the'side rails of the lower section. As shown in Figs. 3 and7, the casing 811 for each device projects through a bracket 85 rigidlycarried by the link 28. A shoulder 300., formed upon the casing,effectively restrains the casing and provides a pivotal connection withthe slightly crowned face of the bracket.

'To accommodate an operator, I may provide a platform adjacent the topof the movable ladder section that permits him to stand erect regardlessof the angular position of the ladder. Moreover, I may so construct theplatform that it may swing automatically into operating positionwhenever the ladder isextended and will automatically move back intoidle position upon retraction of the ladder to the storage position.

The upwardly facing concave platform 86 and the support for the same bymeans of rods '89, which at their upper ends may slide in the extensionl2 to allow the folding of the platform, is not claimed herein but in mydivisional application No. 327,674, filed April 3,1940.

As an added safety feature for the workman at the top of the ladder, Iprovide a U-shaped foot guard 92 which connects the rods 89, and Iprovide hand grip brackets93 which are rigidly attached to the upper endof the movable ladder section. The brackets 93 also permit theattachment of the safety belt as is shown in Fig. 1. An additionalsafety feature are the truss rods 94 which reinforce the ladder rail-sagainst deflection and which serve as hand rails'while the workman ismoving along the ladder.

To look the ladder in horizontal position as shown in Fig. 3, I haveshown a clamping device which is mounted on the top of the cab 95 upon abase 96 which extends transversely thereof. A layer of rubber 91 may bedisposed between the base block and the cab roofto protect the roof andto absorb vibration. The base block has attached to it, a clampsupporting member which as shown in Figs. 10 and 11 has a base 98 whichmay be fastened to the base block by the same securing members whichsecure it to the cab. The member also has a vertical wall, 99, the upperportion of which is shown as being bent outwardly as at I00, bentinwardly as at llll, and then downwardly as at I02. The part lfll formsa supporting surface for rubber pillow blocks .13 upon which the laddersare adapted to rest. The surface lfll also provides a support for flaredladder guides I04.

Phe rails of the lower section may be provided with a laterallyextending flanged portion I which is formed from a strip of metal thatis attached to the bottom and side faces of theladder rails. Thesestrips provide a surface against which the ends of arms I06 may engagefor clamping the ladder against the blocks I03.

As shownin Fig. .11, the arms I06 are attached to a U-shaped plate I01which is pivotally-f There are two arms I06 shown in Fig. 11 forengaging opposite mounted at I08 :between the vertical face 99 and thedownturned face I02.

sides of the ladder, but the arms are adapted to be moved in unison fromthe full line to the broken line position I06a in Fig. 11.

The simultaneous movement of the clamping arms I06 may be accomplishedby movement of a hand lever from either side of the vehicle.Accordingly, two hand levers I09 are shown that are pivotally connectedintermediately at 0,

and are pivotally connected at their respective ends to the bracketsI01. The last named con-' nection preferably takes the form of anintermediate link III, one end of which is pivoted at II2 to the memberI01, and the other endof' which is pivoted at II3 to the handle I09.Thepivot II2 has its axis extending in a horizontal plane, while thepivot H3 has its axis extending in a vertical plane. This, therefore,provides in effect a universal joint between the part I01 and? thehandle I09. The handles are guided for sliding movement in a slot, theupper side of which is formed by a bar II5 which extends to ward thefront end of the truck and which is a securely fastened as by welding tothe bottom edge of the flange I02 and to the vertical por-i tion or face99. The upturned forward end of a rod IIB 'may be welded to the plate II5 and the rear end to the face 99 to complete the passage way withinwhich the arms I09 may be moved.

The clamping mechanism is so arranged that whenever either one of thehand levers I09 is shifted from the full to the :broken line position'I09a in Fig. 10, both ends of the arms are drawn inwardly, thusspringing themembers I01 about their pivots I08 and causing the clampingarms, I06 to move outwardly to the broken line position I06a. Thisreleases the ladder for immediate use. line position, then the pivotalconnection therebetween them moves past the dead center position shownin Fig. 10, and thus the arms I06 are. automatically maintained in aclamping position.

To clamp the sections of the ladder againstl movement longitudinallywith respect to each other during transportation, I have shown in Whenthe levers I09 are in the full Fig. 4 an interlocking hook and eyedevicewhichj locks the two sections together whenever the upper laddersection is moved backwardly unt l the end of the rails thereof engage astop I20 (Fig. 3), which is carried by the lower section and under whicha projection I20a on the upper section is wedged. The interlockingdevice takes the form of a hook I2I which is formed on the.

er the ladder to storage position. The locked position is'shown in Fig.3 and in broken lines at I2Ia in Fig. 4.

The operation of a ladder made in accordance with my invention is asfollows: Assuming that the ladder is carried in the clamped position asis shown in Fig. 3, and that the vehicle has arrived at a location wherethe ladder is to be used, then the vehicle is stopped in a positionwhich will be as near as possible to the overhead device to be servicedwithout interferring with the normal flow of traiiic along the street.Thereupon, the operator swings the lever I09 to release the clamps I06and then he releases the clamp which holds the two sections together byswinging the lever 39 in a direction to disengage the hook I2I from theeye I 22. Thereupon the operator pulls downwardly on the end of thelower ladder section, thereby swinging it about the pivot 20 until theoffset portion 30 is in the position indicated at 30a (Fig. 3), at whichtime the pins 3| automatically engage the hollow pivots 21, and therebylock the ladder in the elevated position. The ladder may then beextended by pulling the upper section along the lower section in thecustomary manner as by means of a rope until the top of the movablesection is sufliciently close to the article upon which the operatorintends to work. If the top of the ladder is not positioned accuratelyenough by the operation just described, then the operator can revolve itand also vary the angle of inclination to suit the desired location.

The ladder is revolved by pressing downwardly on the levers 55, thusreleasing the locking engagement between the ring 42 and the plunger 44,whereupon the ladder may be swung horizontally and then locked in thedesired position by releasing the levers 55. This causes a newengagement of the plunger 44 with a different opening 43 in the ring 42.The vertical angular position of the ladder may then be altered, ifdesired, by rotating the hand wheels 60, which in turn rotate thespindles 65 and. cause the nuts 60 to move along the axis of thespindles. Inasmuch as the nuts are attached to the linkage system whichsupports the ladder, the links are caused to move about their pivots '2Iand 22 so as to alter the angular position, as is shown for example bythe broken lines Ila and III) in Fig. 1'.

At the completion of the work for which the ladder was used, it, may beretracted in the reverse order of elevation, and locked in position uponthe cab of the vehicle. Due to the lightness in weight, thecounterbalancing of the lad der, and the compact arrangement of theoperating mechanism, the ladder may be elevated and retracted by onlyone operator. Moreover, the construction shown enables the ladder to bedirected to any overhead position by extendin across any motor vehiclesthat may be parked alongside the curb or may extend from a position nearthe curb to an overhead position ad- J'acent the center of a streetintersection without interfering with the normal flow of traihc in anydirection.

I claim:

1. In combination, a vehicle. a ladder, means for mounting the ladderfor swinging and tilt ing movement on the vehicle, said means comprisinga column rigidly attached to the vehicle,

.and a sleeve swiveled on the column, saidmeans also including two setsof links .that are connected to the ladder on a common pivot and to thesleeve at spaced pivots, and a screw and nut couple also carried by thesleeve for moving the links and ladder with reference to the sleeve.

2. In combination, a vehicle, a:ladder, means for mounting the-ladder'for swinging andtihing movement with reference to the vehicle, saidmeans including a column rigidly mounted on the vehicle, a sleeveswiveled. on' the column, a memberpivotally connected to the sleeve andto the ladder, and two links pivotally connected together and alsopivotally connected to the lad der and sleeve respectively, means forlocking the ladder to one ofthe links, and meansfor moving the'memberwith reference to the sleeve to tilt the ladderwith reference to thevehicle.

3. In combination, a vehicle, a ladder having a relatively stationaryand a relatively movable section, means for mounting the ladder forswinging and tilting movement with reference to the-vehicle, the ladderhaving an offset portionextending downwardly adjacent the lower endthereof, means adjacent the offset portion for locking the ladder to themounting means locking means, said device operating to lockthe sectionsof l the ladder together upon release of the locking connection.

4. In combination, a vehicle having a platform, a ladder having anextensible section, means for mounting the ladder for swingingand'tilting movement upon the platform, said means including a columnaffixed to the platform, a sleeve swivelled-on the column, the columnhaving an apertured ring rigidly mounted thereon beneath the sleeve, ashiftable member carried-by the sleeve and adapted to engage an aperturein the ring for locking the sleeve againstrotation with respect to thecolumn, a pluralityof links pivotally connected to one section of theladder, a screw. and-nut couple carried by the sleeve for actuating thelinks to alter the angular-position of the ladder, a hand wheel foractuating one member of the couple, and a lever pivotally mounted on.the sleeve and disposed adjacent the-hand wheel for releasing thelocking connection between the sleeve and column, said wheel and memberbeing accessible for manipulation by. an-operator positioned at the baseof .the ladderand in front thereof.

5. In combination, a vehicle, a ladder, means for mounting the ladderfor swinging and tiltingmovement withreference to the vehicle, saidmeans including a column rigidly mounted on thevehicle, a sleeveswiveled on the column, a member pivotally connected to the sleeve andto the ladder intermediate theends of the ladder, a. shaftjournaledonthe sleeve and extending transversely of the ladder, a hand wheel oneach end of the shaft and disposed'outside the path of tilting. movementof the ladder, a screw and nut couple operatively connected to saidshaft and to said member respectively, and means car ried. by theladderadjacent the bottom thereof forlooking it in tilted position tothesleeve.

6. In combination, a vehicle, a ladder, means for mounting the ladderfor swinging and. tilting movement with reference to the vehicle, saidmeans including a column rigidly, mounted on the vehicle, a sleeveswiveled on the column, a member pivotally connected to the sleeve nearthe lower end thereof andpivotally connected to the ladder intermediatethe ends thereof, a screw shaft journaled on the sleeve, a nut coactingwith said screw shaft and swivelly mounted onxsald .membernear;the-mid-portion' thereof, a. tubecarried by; the member and a springactuated device mounted within the tube and connected to the'ladderandoperating as a counterbalance therefor.

7. In combination, a vehicle, a ladder, means for mounting the ladderforswinging and tilting movement with reference -to the vehicle, said meansincluding a column rigidly mounted: on the vehicle, a sleeve swiveled onthe'column, a link pivotally connected to the sleeve andto the ladder, ashaft journaled onthe sleeve andextendingtransversely of the ladder,means :for rotating the shaft, aiscrew. and-nutrcouple-operativelyconnected to said shaft and to said link respectively, coacting means onthe sleeve and ladder for locking the ladder in: a tilted position, saidlast named means including a tubularmember on the ladder, a? rod mountedtherein and means for selectively, moving the rod to project a portionthereof outside the tubuiar member.

8. In combination, avehicle, a ladder mounted thereon for swinging-andtilting movement, said mounting including a column-rigidly attached tothe vehicle, and a sleeve supportedbythecolumn for rotation thereon, anda linkpivoted to the sleeve and connectingithe sleeve to the ladder, andother means connecting'the sleeveto the ladder, said mounting alsoincluding-a screw and nut couple connecting the link and: thesleeve formoving the link about said pivotto tilt the ladder with-- relation to'the sleeve, said couple having one member thereof carried" by the sleeveand the other'member thereof swiv-- eled on the link at alpointintermediate theends thereof.

9. In combination, a vehicle, a ladder, means for mounting the ladderfor swinging andtilting movement on the vehicle, said means comprising acolumn rigidly attached to the vehicle, and a sleeve swiveledonthecolumn, anda link pivotally connected to the sleeve and to the ladderand an additional'connection' between the sleeve and ladder comprising apair of links pivotally joined together, said means also includingascrew and nut couple connectingthe link first mentioned and the sleevefor moving the ladder withreferenceto the sleeve, means sleeve andladder, said.= means alsoincludingascrew and nut couple connecting. thelink first mentioned and the sleeve formoving the'ladder with referenceto the sleeve, a hand operated wheel for actuating one member, ofthecouple, a device for locking the ladder inpredetermined positions ofswinging movement, anda member having a hand engaging, portion disposedadjacent the wheel for releasing the lockingdevice, said wheel andmember being accessible for manipulation by an operator positioned atthe base of the ladder andin front thereof.

HERMAN J. TROCl-IE.

